The Contrabass List

It appears that I am not the only maniac on
the internet with a passion for simulating seismic disturbance with
wind
instruments. To broaden/facilitate discussions, I started up a
traditional
internet mailing list, beginning 13 June 1996. The list usually has
around
200+ subscribers.

Main purpose of the list: to discuss bass and contrabass instruments, recordings,
instruments for sale, relevant concerts, etc. In practice, we cover
just about anything related to music.

Subscriptions:

To subscribe, just email
me and let me know if you want
the
"immediate" version or the digest version. Ignore
any instructions for automatic email subscription or web-based forms
that
you may see in archived digests. I've changed software a number
of
times, and finally have just locked the system to reduce spam. Don't
worry if it takes a few days to get a response: I travel periodically,
and don't always have a connection.

Attachments and Formats:

Please do not send attachments (images, sound files,
etc.) to the list itself: this often causes problems for at least some
of the subscribers. If you have such a file to share, you can
send
it to me: if appropriate, I will post it on the site with a link from
the
digest (including the archived
digests).

Please, if possible, send posts in PLAIN ASCII
TEXT.
The list software does not convert html, mime, rtf, or other formats,
and
the resulting mess takes up three times as much space and is difficult
to read. Where possible, I will clean these up before archiving
the digest, but please be considerate of the other subscribers.

Spam Policy (and message to spammers):

Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE),
Unsolicited Bulk Email (UBE), and everything else known by the common
epithet of "spam" is not welcome on the list, and is specifically
prohibited . In my opinion, spam has no legitimate
purpose whatsoever, has no justification, and is not even
entertaining. All subscribers (and non-subscribers too!) are
advised never to reply to spam, and never ever to send
money to a spammer. Replying to spam only gives the spammer
another email address to use. Sending money to a spammer is
throwing your money away. Think about it: they can't even use a
legitimate
email address, and have to forge email headers to leave their excrement
all
over the world. Why would you trust someone like this with your
credit
card number? How would you track them down to complain, when you
don't
receive the product, or the product you do receive is defective (or
just
worthless junk)? Much of the email classifiable as spam is
fraudulent
and/or illegal, and most people are intelligent enough to spot
it. All spam addressed to the list
itself will
be automatically forwarded to the FTC, regardless of how it is routed
or
what return address it shows in the headers. All spam (especially obvious scams and frauds, and pyramid
schemes) is forwarded to the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) is forwarded to the FTC whether it was
addressed to the list or to me personally. Frankly, I don't care
if you think your spam "complies" with some proposed federal law, or if
you provide an "opt-out" address. Just don't send it to me, or to
the contrabass list. This website and the contrabass list are
administered in California, and are subject to California law.
The list is read in a number of different jurisdictions, from
Australia
to Norway: please do not think that you are complying with the bulk
email
and advertising regulations of all jurisdictions just by providing a
return
email address, or an opt-out statement.

If you are interested in spam, keep in mind that
you can be much more effective by simply buying an ad or two from
Doubleclick.com or Yahoo.com: not only do you probably reach many
more people, it probably doesn't cost you any more than the spam kit
and email list, and doesn't
get you booted off a series of ISPs, AND the people who see the ad
realize
that it is subsidizing the website or email list they're reading and
aren't
NEARLY as irritated by it.

If you receive email with an invalid reply
address,
offering you anything, either delete it or report it (see War on Spam and
Sam Spade for instructions and
tools).

Spam is sent to this list on a daily basis (about
20-30 spams per day, at last count), all of which is filtered out
before reaching subscribers.

Please do not forward petitions, virus
warnings (even if real), or similar material to the list. So many
of these are hoaxes that they are more spam-like than helpful.
Most subscribers subscribe to more than one list, and see all that
material multiple times already. If you run across a real virus
warning, it is best simply to
post a link to the Symantec
antivirus website for information. (Note: while their virus information
is helpful, after dealing with their customer "service" I can't
recommend buying any Symantec product.)

Messages regarding bass or contrabass instruments
for sale, concerts, recordings, etc. are permitted (even
encouraged!), as long as it is relevant to the list subject matter, and
isn't too frequent (e.g., don't post piccolos for sale every week).

Orchestration Guide:

In its beginning stages is the Contrabass
Orchestration Guide, with descriptions, sound samples,
extended techniques, and advice for scoring and composing for the lower
end of the spectrum
(now accepting contributions!). So far we have tips for
contrabass
clarinet, contrabass sarrusophone, and tuba.